Sharpener for knives, scissors, and the like



Jan. 14; 1930. H, w, KULP 1,743,359

- SHARPENER FOR KNIVES, SCISSORS, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 25, 1925 Ill Wu Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES PAT-T QFFICE HARRY 'W'. KULP, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MARTIN C. DELLING-ER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA SHARPENER FOR vKNIVES, SCISSORS, AND THE LIKE Application filed February 25, 1925.

This invention relates to knife, scissors and other edged tool sharpeners of the overlapping multiple disc type in which the discs have sharp edges, are of hard metal or other suitable material, are spaced from each other by spacing washers, blocks or'elements, and have a certain amount of lateral play whereby the discs will rock slightly on their aXes and so grip the edge of the tool to be sharpened, shearing off part of the material thereof and at the same time, by the dragging action of the tool, being turned slightly continuously on their axes to present fresh portions of their operating edges. 7

Such sharpeners comprise two cutting rolls or burrs, each made up of a plurality of cutting discs spaced from each other by a spacing block or washer of the same thickness, or substantially so, so that the discs prO ect radially beyond the spacing washers orblocks, and the discs of one roll or cutter are arranged to alternate in slightly overlapping relation with those of the other roll or burr, as is well illustrated in Figures and 5. p

This present invention relates particularly to such cutting rolls or burrs and to the spacing washers or blocks thereof, and also to the support or frame and bracket therefor. The main objects of the present lnvention are to provide a foldable bracket or support for the sharpener, whereby it may be permanently mounted on the inside of a desk or kitchen cabinet drawer or slide and folded down out of the way when not in use so that the drawer may be closed or the slide shoved to normal position, and also whereby it may be swung in one direction, but will be held against swinging beyond a predetermined point in the reverse direction, whereby it may be erected to operative position when needed and folded down fiatout of the way after use.

Also, a further and important object is to provide some of the spacing blocks or washers as part of each cutter roll or burr of special construction, whereby such special shape spacing washers or blocks'have the triple functions of, first, spacing the cutter or sharpener discs ofthe particular roll or burr from each other and fromthe frame A; second to provide in combination a guide for the Serial No. 11,461.

tioning and guiding of scissors blades, shear blades and the like for the purpose of sharpening'.

Further objects are to obtain simplicity of construction and operation, to provide a construction which, while employing a number of parts, will use many parts which are duplicates in size, shape and material and so, as to each such part, may be produced by the same dies and other apparatus and will be handled in the same manner in the assembling operations; and to otherwise maintain economy of manufacture while adding to the convenience and efliciency of this general type of sharpener, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of my invention simply by way of illustration of the practice thereof:

Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a device embodying my invention as mounted on the inside of a desk or kitchen cabinet drawer, being shown in full lines projecting up beyond the top edge of the drawer in position for use, and, in dotted lines, as folded down out of the way so that the drawer may be closed; 7 v

Figure 2, a side elevation thereof in'its raised position;

Figure 3, a sectional view on the line 33 Figure 6, a detail side elevation of one of' the spacing and guiding washers or plates 1. Referring now in detail to the drawings, A

designates the frame having upwardly pre-' sented diverging ears B which are perforated I to receive the rivets C respectively, there being a notch or throat equi-distant from and between said rivets permitting a knife blade to be forced against the overlapping portions of the sharpening discs D and drawn laterally of the sharpener in contact with all of said discs. Usual disc form spacing washers E maybe used on either side of the medial discs D of each sharpener roll or burr as illustrated. .F designates the bottom of the frame A.

The spacing and guiding and positioning plates, washers, blocks or elements 1 are of ous, that it is susceptible to many variations I Without departing from the spirit of the invention. V

Preferably a pair of these washers 1 Wlll be provided in each cutter roll or burr, one

' such washer 1 being at or adjacent each end of its respective roll, as iswell shown in Figures 4t and 5.

As thus assembled and embodied in a complete device there will be preferably four plates .1 in alternating relation and divided into two pairs, one pair in each cutter roll or burr, the inner edges 3 of the one roll or burr being opposed to, and alternating with the corresponding inner edges 3 or burr, and between them constituting a guide insuring the proper positioning of a lmifeblade to be drawn between the two rolls in contact with the edges thereof for sharpening.

- Likewise, the edges 5 of each pair of plates 7 or washers 1 are in the same radial planeand in registry laterally of the sharpener and extend at such an angle as to properly present a scissors blade to the edges of the discs of their roll or burr to be sharpened;

Thebottom orlower edge 4, being straight, will be in contact or substantially so, with the inner face of the bottom F of the frame A throughout its length for the purpose of preventing turning or partial rotation of the washers or plates 1to an appreciable degree in order to hold theedges 3 and 5 thereof in proper operative relation to each other and to the discs D. Due to the fact that there is allowed a certain amount of lateral play between the elements of each roll or burr, and also tothe fact that absolute accuracy with no allowance for variations or inequalities in surfaces or fit involves unnecessarily excessive expense to no advantage in such articles and therefore is undesirable in such. articles from the standpoint of economy of manufacture on a quantity production basis, there will, in practice, he a very slight rocking movement of the plates 1 about their respecof the other roll tive rivets C, but it will be very slight in .degree and will have no substantial effect upon the proper presentation and maintaining of the edges 3 and 5 in operative position.

The ends 6 of the bottom F of the frame A are perforated and bent. at right angles to overlap and fit against the respective outer faces of perforated ears 7 of a bracket 8, and rivets 9 passing through the perforations in each pair of end portions 6 and ears? secure the frame A and bracket 8 pivotally together.

The base or bracket 8 is provided with a plurality of perforations through which screws or other securing means 10 may be driven into the side 11 of the drawer or other backing or support. I

One corner of each ear 7 is arcuate in outline or is cut away to allow the frame A to be turned to that side about the rivets 9, whereas the other corner 12 of each ear 7 has a straight outer face for engaging with the adjacent face of the bottom F of the frame A to prevent the swinging of the frame A to that side, so that if the frame A be swung to the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 it will be held rigid against a push or pull in one lateral direction, while yielding to a push or pull in the reverse direction.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a multiple disc type edged tool sharpener, a plate for spacing one of the discs from 7 an adjacent element, said plate having one edge formed to cooperate with other elements to act as a guide for a thin blade to be sharpened, a second edge extending substantially radially of, and beyond, some of the sharpening discs for the purpose ofproperly guiding, positioning and supporting a different type of blade to be sharpened, and a third edge so formed as to have contact with a relatively fixed element. to maintain the two above mentioned edges in proper operative 'relation'to said discs.

2. In an edged tool sharpener, a frame and two sharpener burrs or rolls mounted there in, each roll comprising a plurality of sharpening discs, the discs of one roll alternating with those of the other roll and being in close adjacency thereto, and there being spacing means arranged in each roll for spacing said discs from each other and-from said frame, said spacing means comprising spacing guiding plates each having a vertical edge, a radial edge, and an edge so formed as to have contact with a relatively fixed element tomain-.

tain the plate in proper position, the vertical edge of a plateof one roll being opposed to the vertical edge of a plate of theother roll and the two vertical edges together constituting a narrow throat or guide for th pr per presentation of a thin blade to be simultaneously acted upon by the discs of both rolls, and the radial edge of each said-plate being presented at such an angle as to properly support, and present the edge of, a scissors blade to the discs of its roll to be sharpened.

3. In an edged tool sharpener, a frame and two sharpener rolls or burrs mounted therein,

each roll comprising a plurality of sharpening discs, the discs of one roll alternating with those of the other roll and being in close adjacency thereto, and there being spacing means arranged in each roll for spacing said discs from each other and from said frame, spacing and guiding plates comprised in the spacing means for each of said rolls, each said plate having a vertical edge, a radial edge, and an edge so formed as to have contact with a relatively fixed element to maintain the plate in proper position, the vertical edges of the plates of one roll being opposed to the vertical edges of the plates of the other roll and therewith constituting or defining a throat or guide for the proper presentation of a thin blade to be simultaneously acted upon by the discs of both rolls, and the radial edges of the plates of each roll respectively lying substantially in the same radial plane and at such an angle as to properly support, and present the edge of, a scissors blade to the discs of their roll to be sharpened.

4. In an edged tool sharpener, a frame and two sharpener burrs or rolls mounted therein,

each roll comprising a plurality of sharpening discs, the discs of one roll alternating with those of the other roll and being in close adjacency thereto, and there being spacing means arranged in each roll for spacing said discs from each other and from said frame, and a spacing and guiding plate comprised in the spacing means for each of said rolls, each said plate having a vertical edge, and an edge so formed as to have contact with a relatively fixed element to maintain the plate in proper position, the vertical edge of' a plate of one roll being opposed to the vertical edge of a plate of the other roll for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this 24th day of February, 1925.

HARRY W. KULP. 

